CHARLOTTE - It has been a storybook season for the Virginia football program filled with unlikely close victories and defied expectations. For a moment, it appeared the Cavaliers had saved their most thrilling moment for last.
However, UVA fell just short of producing the ultimate fairytale ending, losing 27-20 to Duke in overtime of the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium.
“They fought all the way ‘til the end,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said after the game. “They believed they were going to win the game, and we came up a few plays short.”
With 5:02 left in the fourth quarter, Duke kicker Todd Pelino kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Blue Devils their largest lead of the game at 20-10. The game seemed to be slipping away from the Cavaliers, who had come up empty the previous two possessions.
However, the previously ineffective Virginia offense came to life, quickly marching the ball down the field with an 8-play, 50-yard drive. A 42-yard field goal from Will Bettridge narrowed the Blue Devils’ lead to 20-13 with 3:54 remaining.
The Cavaliers’ defense was able to force a punt after Duke ran only 2:10 off the clock. With Virginia pinned back at its own 4-yard line and 1:44 left in regulation, quarterback Chandler Morris orchestrated one of the more improbable scoring drives in UVA football history.
Morris completed 7 passes on the possession, including an 18-yard touchdown strike to Eli Wood to tie the game at 20. The 10-play, 96-yard drive took only 1:22 and led to wild celebrations in the stands for the Virginia faithful.
“The drive to tie it up, I think it’s guys just playing free, playing fast, playing with tempo, taking a little bit of the thinking out of it,” Elliott said of the Cavaliers’ late-game rally.
However, the joy was short-lived. The Cavaliers entered the game 3-0 in overtime contests on the season, beating Florida State, Louisville, and North Carolina. For once, the extra period would not be kind to Virginia. Duke converted on a 4th-and-Goal from the 1-yard line, with quarterback Darian Mensah finding tight end Jeremiah Hasley for his second touchdown reception of the game. The play also featured a roughing the passer penalty on linebacker James Jackson, which hurt UVA on the subsequent possession.
Offensive coordinator Des Kitchings dialed up a double-pass trick play on the first snap of the drive to try to get a chunk of yardage back. However, Morris threw the ball into double coverage and was intercepted by linebacker Luke Mergott. The turnover ended Virginia’s hope of winning its first ever conference title in football and closed the door on a likely berth in the College Football Playoffs.
“I’m sure that we all want that play back,” Elliott said. “But that guy made a play and hats off to Duke for winning the game.”
For Duke, it was the first school’s first outright ACC championship since 1962.
With the loss, Virginia stands at 10-3 and awaits an invitation to a bowl game. The team still has the opportunity to get an 11th win, a mark that has not been achieved in program history. However, the primary feeling on the field following the game was dejection and sorrow over what could have been.
“As far as the emotion in the locker room, I’ll say just disappointment,” UVA safety Devin Neal said. “I’m sure we’ll use this pain as something that’ll really fuel for the next game but just disappointment overall, how far we’ve come and just expecting to just get this done.”
While we wait for Virginia’s bowl plans to develop, here are three key takeaways from UVA’s heartbreaking loss to Duke in the ACC Championship.
UVA Defense Struggles To Get Off The Field
Virginia defeated Duke 34-17 three weeks ago in Durham in a game that the Cavaliers dominated from the start. Fans hoping for a similar result in the rematch had their hopes dashed during the opening possession.
In the first meeting, UVA used a 14-play, 75-yard drive to set the tone of the game and monopolize time of possession. Here in Charlotte, it was Duke that launched the opening salvo. After allowing three first downs, UVA’s defense forced a punt attempt at the Cavalier 46-yard line. However, defensive lineman Jacob Holmes jumped offsides before the snap. Duke head coach Manny Diaz brought his offense back onto the field and was rewarded with a successful 4th-and-2 conversion on a 16-yard pass to tight end Landen King.
The Blue Devils capped off the 16-play drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Mensah to Hasley. The possession took 9:38 off the clock and put pressure on the Virginia offense for the remainder of the game. It was the longest scoring drive in terms of elapsed time in ACC Championship history.
“You could tell strategically their plan was to shorten the game and minimize the number of possessions for us,” Elliott said.
Virginia answered later in the quarter after forcing a turnover on Duke’s side of the field. Freshman Corey Costner notched the second interception of his collegiate career, giving the Cavaliers possession at the Blue Devils’ 23-yard line. After the change of quarter, Morris connected on an 11-yard touchdown pass to J’Mari Taylor, evening the score at 7-7.
However, Duke responded with another lengthy scoring drive. This time, the 13-play, 75-yard drive was capped off by a 16-yard touchdown rush from Nate Sheppard. The Blue Devils converted twice on fourth down, including a successful fake punt after what looked like a three-and-out, to keep the chains moving. The more than 8-minute drive became the second lengthiest scoring drive in ACC Championship game history.
After dominating performances against Duke and Virginia Tech to close the regular season, the Cavalier defense was on its heels for most of the game. Being on the field for more than 34 minutes also seemed to wear down the defensive line. The Blue Devils totaled 333 total yards and scored on all five trips to the red zone. Mensah completed 19 of 25 passes for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. His top target, wideout Cooper Barkate, finished the game with 5 catches for 91 receiving yards. Sheppard compiled 128 all-purpose yards and frequently pushed the pile after initial contact.
For the Cavaliers, James Jackson, Maddox Marcellus, and Devin Neal all led the team with 7 tackles a piece. UVA could only generate 1 sack in this game, from defensive lineman Daniel Rickert, after bringing Mensah down in the backfield for 4 sacks in the first meeting.
Special Teams Errors
The aforementioned offsides call on the punt attempt ended up costing the Cavaliers 7 points. Unfortunately, it would not be the only UVA miscue on special teams.
On Virginia’s first possession, the Cavaliers moved the ball into Duke territory before a drive stalled out after a Chandler Morris sack. Kicker Will Bettridge attempted a 45-yard field goal, but he pulled it to the left. It was only the third miss of the season from 40 or more yards out for the senior placekicker.
UVA’s punt coverage issues emerged again on Duke’s second scoring drive. The Cavalier defense appeared to force one of the only three-and-outs in the game. However, the Blue Devils executed a fake punt with defensive end Kevin O’Connor taking a direct snap and rushing 6 yards for a first down. Duke scored nine plays later with the Sheppard touchdown.
“There’s a lot of opportunities I feel like we missed, and we made mistakes and they capitalized on,” Cavalier linebacker James Jackson said. “It’s hard to win games when you make mistakes like that.
While special teams has been a strength for the Hoos this season, Duke had the better play in this game. Blue Devils’ punter Kade Reynoldson pinned the UVA offense inside the five on two occasions and placekicker Todd Pelino connected on both of his field goal attempts.
Chandler Morris Makes Costly Mistakes
Chandler Morris’ heroics have saved the Cavaliers on many occasions this season, including at the end of regulation in this game. However, he also made two costly mistakes late that ultimately proved decisive.
With Virginia backed up against its own end zone, Morris took a shot down the field but was not on the same page as his receiver who ran a different route. He was intercepted by defensive back Caleb Weaver, giving Duke possession at the UVA 33. That throw led to the 20-10 deficit after a successful field goal for the Devils.
“There was a miscommunication on the interception in the coming out situation that we got to make sure that we get cleaned up from a staff standpoint,” Elliott said of the play.
Then, in overtime, Morris forced a difficult pass into traffic that ended the Hoos’ comeback bid. That came on first down with a double-pass call when Morris could have thrown the ball away.
Morris finished the game completing only 21 of 40 passes for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also 2 INTs.
Part of Morris’ struggles can be chalked up to a Duke defensive line that pressured the UVA quarterback throughout the game. Though Morris was only sacked once, he was frequently hurried and forced to move out of the pocket. He also was a non-factor in the run game, gaining -3 yards on 3 carries.
An injury to starting left tackle McKale Boley during the Virginia Tech game also played a role in Duke’s success in disrupting Morris’ rhythm. Boley played in the game but was clearly hobbled and had to be replaced at various times by less-experienced back-up Ben York. Elliott praised Boley’s willingness to compete despite playing with a high ankle sprain on two days rest.
“He laid it on the line for his football team, just like every other player in that locker room,” Elliott said of his left tackle.
While Morris will undoubtedly wish he had played a better game, his teammates were quick to praise the leadership he has brought to the team this season.
“I told him I love him,” Virginia wideout Cam Ross said of his quarterback. “We wouldn’t be here without him. Everybody in the building knows that. Everybody in the whole state of Virginia knows that.”
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